X-Factor #236, July 2012, written by Peter David, penciled by Leonard Kirk
0113. X-Factor #74, January 1992, written by Peter David, penciled by Larry Stroman
I think this is the first time that Strong Guy’s ability to absorb kinetic energy to augment his strength is mentioned.
My Score: 9.6
0104. X-Factor #72, November 1991, written by Peter David, penciled by Larry Stroman
This is the best of the best. This is how all comics should be. If the Go! Team as a band mix together every element I love about music and channel it into pure fun, then Peter David’s X-Factor is my Go! Team of comic books.
Every character game introduced last issue is heightened and explored here. Peter David has such a firm grasp of every character, moreso than any other writer ever has of any of them ever before, and he knows this. His dialogue exudes confidence in his execution, and I love reading someone that has no doubts about what they are doing. This is brilliant storytelling.
Okay, there isn’t much of a story. X-Factor investigates the apparent homicide of Multiple Man (turns out to be a dupe) and then have a press conference. There have been issues of X-Force with more plot. BUT the characters are so compelling and well done, and the issue is so well drawn, it all comes across as genius. You can’t put it down.
I love the serious bits with Alex and Lorna’s relationship. I love the creepy stalker bits happening with Rahne. Quicksilver is on fire in this issue, with every move he makes further nailing down his persona in concrete and definitive ways. This run is is Peter David saying “this is who this character is, this is why he’s always been this way, this is who he is from now on.” Done. I absolutely adore every line Guido says, and also love that he gets a startlingly plausible backstory that explains his flippant attitude. Also, he names himself Strong Guy in this issue, which is indeed a momentous occasion.
X-Factor for the win.
My Score: 9.9
0088. X-Factor #71, October 1991, written by Peter David, penciled by Larry Stroman
And here’s where the gushing begins. This is comic book perfection. This is how you take characters that have been no-dimensional and immediately build them up into living, breathing people that completely cement their place as some of the quirkiest and best characters in the Marvel Universe. And what a cast! I don’t know what Peter David’s thought process was, but picking these characters is just so right. You have so many great dynamics to play with, only a couple of which are even touched upon here. Val Cooper and Rahne’s one-panel “kibbles n bits” moment, the beginning scene with Guido (a “real ’90s kind of guy”) hitting on Polaris, even Multiple Man finally gets some depth as a mild-mannered practical joker.
Larry Stroman’s art holds up better than anything else being published back in 1991, and it even holds up far better than the work he did on X-Factor just a couple years ago. I cite Al Milgrom’s tight inking job, which reigns in the rampant geometric eccentricity that is Stroman’s pencils and makes them serviceable for a superhero story while being completely individual. This is the only way this book could have looked. It’s perfect.
This is so smart, so well done, and so all around revolutionary for a Marvel Comics superhero book in 1991. There is barely any action. The premise is more politics than punching. The art is frustratingly gorgeous. The characters are B and C-list at best. This was such a risk and it pays off in every way.
My Score: 9.9
0085. X-Factor #70, September 1991, written by Peter David, penciled by Kirk Jarvinen
And immediately, Peter David steps in and every other writer pales in comparison. There is something completely human and natural to Peter David’s dialogue, which is in such heavy contrast to the highly verbose plot-driven dialogue of Chris Claremont and the witty rush jobs that Fabian Nicieza has been turning in. Every scene in this issue works in both ending dangling plot threads and moving characters forward naturally. David gets tons of mileage out of character combos, giving us a great Wolverine and Cyclops scene up top (the Swallowing a Lit Cigarette Incident that had me showing this issue to all of my 3rd grade friends) and an inkling of the hilarity that’s about to ensue with a Guido and Polaris scene. Guido is a character that has been on the periphery for years now and this is the first time that a writer makes an effort to make him an individual. It’s great. And the Mystique and Rogue reconciliation is wordy and plot heavy, but I love that Peter David takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of Shadow King having Val Cooper murder Mystique, and, well, all that mess. This is just solid character work, through and through.
The art is also impressive. Kirk Jarvinen was an artist that drew a lot of the Marvel trading cards but never had a regular gig on a title. This is, actually, only one of a handful of comics he’s ever drawn in his nearly 20 year career. Shocking, as he conveys varied emotion and body language and is a solid storyteller. He also succeeds at the wacky surrealistic scenes set in the comatose Legion’s brain. And then there’s that Mike Mignola cover, which I have loved ever since I first saw it like, 16 years ago. Love it.
I honestly could have gone another year with that roster on Uncanny X-Men. It was quirky, fun, and Claremont and Lee clearly enjoyed it for the brief time it was around. But. X-Factor was useless. We are now officially entering into the era of the book that I collected and read religiously. I actually started this whole “reading everything from 1975 on” project to familiarize myself with these pre-1991 issues of X-Factor because I couldn’t imagine them getting 70 issues worth of material out of the original five X-Men. Now, after reading this, I can say that…well they didn’t get 70 issues out of it. They maybe got like, 30-40 and then padded things out…a lot. Louise Simonson did a splendid job of setting up tension and drama, but as soon as Walt Simonson left the book got way boring.
And I can’t argue with Arachangel’s point in this issue. The X-Men have become way too scattered. With Professor X back on Earth for the first time in six years it’s natural for the original five to rejoin the main team. Plus the X-Men have also been amnesiac, lost and separated for a couple years. This is why X-Men #1, which I will be re-reading very soon, feels so fresh and new. And exciting. It’s the same old same old (mutants in a school with a crippled professor), but that hadn’t been the status quo for so long at that point. This sets up for that and does it well.
This is when I started reading the X-Books, so I’m going to be very biased on all of these gradings. But a part of me honestly believes that this is the best the line of X-Books has ever been. Every book had a voice, a place, and a unique roster. A reason for being. We will see if my opinion remains the same.
My Score: 9.1
0083. X-Factor #69, August 1991, written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Whilce Portacio
I really want some sort of book or documentary about the X-Offices at this time, as there is so much going on behind the scenes that is only hinted at in the issues. Like in this issue, the writer is Fabian Nicieza “with lots of help” and the book is inked by “Task Force X.” Just how crazy was this time period? How do you write a book with lots of help, or ink a book as a task force, and not have the space to credit everyone? I mean, I know the answers to all these questions, but I am curious to know more.
And the letters page in the last issue of Uncanny talked about a raging party the X-Office had and how Jim Lee is a great break dancer. Where are the tales of these hedonistic days?!
My Score: 7.7
